Trump and Xi agree ‘there’s a solution’ to North Korea

Trump and Xi agree ‘there’s a solution’ to North Korea

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President Donald Trump said Thursday in Beijing that he and President Xi Jinping agree ‘there’s a solution’ to conflict with North Korea and have committed to resolving the crisis together.

‘I do believe there’s a solution to that, as you do,’ he said of their stance on the rebellious regime after morning meetings with the Chinese government.

Trump said later, in a statement to the media, that he and Xi ‘agreed not to replicate failed approaches of the past, and there were many,’ as they dealt with the ‘very serious nuclear menace.’

‘Perhaps now more than ever we have an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between our two countries and improve the lives of our citizens,’ Trump stated. ‘As long as we stand together, with others if necessary, against those who threaten our civilization, that threat will never happen. It doesn’t even have a chance.’

The president also said Thursday that he does not blame China for its gigantic trade deficit with the U.S.

Trump said it was ‘past administrations’ that allowed the economic relationship between the two countries to get ‘so far out of kilter.’

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President Donald Trump said Thursday in Beijing that he and President Xi Jinping agree that ‘there’s a solution’ to conflict with North Korea

And China, he said, would ‘fully and strictly implement UN Security Council resolutions’ while continuing ‘dialogue and negotiation’ – a suggestion that its diplomats are still talking with Pyongyang behind the scenes

Later in joint remarks with Trump, Xi said the two leaders had ‘reiterated’ their mutual ‘firm commitment to achieving denuclearization of the peninsula’

Trump and Xi met with U.S. and Chinese officials for two hours on Thursday morning.

In joint statements to reporters with Trump after the meetings had concluded, Xi said the two leaders had ‘reiterated’ their mutual ‘firm commitment to achieving denuclearization of the peninsula.’

Xi stressed that the U.S. and China are ‘two distinctive countries’ with ‘two sides or different views’ while emphasizing that a ‘healthy, stable and growing U.S.-China relationship’ is in the benefit of both nations.

The Chinese leader said he impressed his country’s desire to ‘jointly maintain and promote peace and stability and peace and prosperity in the region’ in his talk with Trump.

‘We believe that China and the United States are countries where the important influence [is] in the Asia Pacific,’ Xi said through a translator. ‘As I said to the president, the Pacific Ocean is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States.’

The American president emerged from the talks convinced that China, which he once said was ‘raping’ the U.S. in the trade arena, would be a steady ally in the region and a reliable partner when it comes to addressing economic imbalances between the two countries in a dramatic shift from his earlier disparagements of Xi’s government.

‘I don’t blame China. After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? I give China great credit,’ Trump said Thursday during a signing ceremony with business executives. ‘But in actuality, I do blame past administrations for allowing this out of control trade deficit to take place and to grow. We have to fix this because it just doesn’t work.’

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters later, during a White House briefing in Beijing, that the remark about China taking advantage of the U.S. was ‘tongue in cheek.’

Trump said trade negotiations are off to a ‘very, very good start’ on Thursday as the U.S. businesses signed $250 billion in non-binding agreements.

Boeing, General Electric and Qualcomm were among the big winners – assuming the deals hold up once Trump has concluded his presidential visit to China.

‘The United States really has to change its policies because they’ve gotten so far behind on trade with China and frankly with many other countries,’ Trump said after his first meeting of the day. ‘But we’ll make it fair and it’ll be tremendous to both of us,’ he asserted.

Tillerson said later, at the press briefing, that the best way to characterize the U.S. position is: ‘While we appreciate the long hours and the effort our Chinese counterparts put into those trade discussions, quite frankly in the grand scheme of a $300-$500 billon trade deficit, the things that have been achieved thus far are pretty small. ‘

President Donald Trump said Thursday in Beijing that he and President Xi Jinping agree that ‘there’s a solution’ to conflict with North Korea

China’s President Xi Jinping, second left, holds a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday

Trump praised Xi for cutting off banking ties with Pyongyang in an economic choke-hold designed to bring despot Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table

Xi said in brief remarks after the initial meeting that he and Trump had ‘reached many common understandings’ in their discussions.

China, he said later, will ‘fully and strictly implement UN Security Council resolutions’ while continuing ‘dialogue and negotiation’ – a suggestion that Beijing’s diplomats are still talking with Pyongyang behind the scenes.

In remarks to business leaders in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Trump said the ‘North Korean nuclear menace’ was his chief topic of discussion with Xi.

‘The United States is committed to the complete and permanent denuclearization of North Korea,’ he said.

Trump called on Xi and China ‘to hopefully work on it very hard.’

‘I know one thing about your president: If he works on it hard, it will happen. There is no doubt about it,’ Trump said.

As laughter erupted, Trump added, ‘They know.’

Warm welcome: Trump takes part in a welcoming ceremony, seen above, with China’s President Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

Trump praised Xi for cutting off banking ties with Pyongyang in an economic choke-hold designed to bring despot Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table.

‘We call on all nations to implement UN Security Council sanctions and resolutions, and to cease doing business with the North Korean regime,’ he said in his press statement.

‘All nations must come together to ensure that this rogue regime cannot threaten the world with its nuclear weapons.’

Trump said at another meeting later in the day that he expects the Chinese government to help the U.S. with North Korea ‘a lot.’

‘Together we have it in our power to finally liberate this region and the world from this very serious nuclear menace,’ Trump said. The U.S. president stressed that the effort would take ‘collective action.’

Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a business event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

Trump said Thursday in Beijing that he and President Xi Jinping agree that ‘there’s a solution’ to conflict with North Korea

In the joint press statement with Xi after their meeting, Trump insisted that he and Xi share a ‘mutual commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.’

He also said the two leaders mutually pledged to implement UN Security Council resolutions ‘and to increase economic pressure until North Korea abandons its reckless and dangerous path.’

‘As I said in my address yesterday in Seoul, the entire civilized world must unite to confront the North Korean menace, and the entire world is watching us right now,’ he said.

Tillerson insisted at his briefing with the press, ‘There is no disagreement on North Korea.

‘In fact, we were quite pleased and gratified, he said, that the Chinese ‘have been very clear and unequivocal – they will not accept a North Korea with nuclear weapons. So, there’s no space between both of our objectives.’

The two countries disagree about tactics, timing and the level of pressure, he said, and that’s what filled the discussions.

He said that Trump was ‘very clear’ with Xi, today though, telling him, ‘you are a very powerful neighbor or theirs,’ because you control 90 percent of North Korea’s economy. Tillerson said Trump told Xi, ‘you’re a strong man – you can, I’m sure, solve this for me.’

‘And so he was very clear with him and said he believes it can be solved,’ America’s top diplomat said.

White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner attends a bilateral meeting held by U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday